Broad stands in front of a rendering of his forthcoming Broad Museum’s exoskeleton at the 2011 unveiling of its design.
“I love architecture. I’m very involved in architecture,” billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad tells Los Angeles Magazine during an interview that reads like a love letter to the city and its definitive new buildings. “I can think of no city which, within three blocks, has such great architecture: MOCA, designed by Arata Isozaki; Disney Hall, by Frank Gehry; the cathedral, by Rafael Moneo; the arts high school, by Wolf Prix.” His paean to Grand Avenue, the city’s downtown cultural strip which is about to undergo a Gehry-designed master plan, will only get grander come 2015, when the Broad Art Museum by Diller Scofidio + Renfro opens across the street from Disney Hall.
“I’m very happy with the building we’re doing with Elizabeth Diller at the Broad Museum. She’s a great architect, and we’re getting along famously,” he tells the magazine. Not so with others — “With regards to Disney Hall, Frank Gehry had a contract as a design architect. He wasn’t supposed to get involved in construction.” Without pause, Broad assures his interviewer: “We’re great friends now.” [Los Angeles Magazine]
— Anna Kats (@fortunaviriliis)
Photo by Jae C. Hong.
